Sen. Bernie Sanders fired up a crowd of about 3,500 at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside on Friday to rally support for liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford, but the event took a contentious turn with a transgender punk rock performance that critics slammed as crude and religiously offensive—drawing accusations of a media blackout of its radical nature.
Held in the De Simone Arena, the event featured Sanders railing against wealth inequality and billionaire influence in politics, themes central to his “fight oligarchy” tour. He indirectly boosted Crawford’s bid against conservative Brad Schimel in the April 1 election, a contest that could shift the state Supreme Court’s ideological balance. The rally also included a disgusting display of anti-Christian bigotry that, until Monday, went unreported by the mainstream media.
At the rally to boost enthusiasm for Dane County Judge Crawford in the final weeks of the campaign, transgender punk rocker Laura Jane Grace, sang lyrics like, “Does your god have a big fat d—? Cause it feels like he’s f—ing me,” and references to divine sexual acts that stunned some attendees and erupted online.
“Amazing I’m learning all this days later,” wrote one X user. “And I live in Milwaukee metro. Local media completely hid the freak show.”
Social media has since lit up with condemnation, with posts on X calling the performance “pure evil” and “absolutely sickening.” One commentator noted that Sanders specifically thanked Grace onstage with children present, amplifying the backlash.
Wisconsin Republicans doubled down, labeling Sanders a “far-left extremist” and suggesting the rally exposed Crawford’s ties to radical elements.
“The whole world needs to see what they support,” said Wisconsin Congressman Bryan Steil. “This is disgusting. How many kids were present listening to this?”
Mainstream coverage, however, largely glossed over Grace’s set. Reports zeroed in on Sanders’ economic message and the election stakes, omitting the controversial lyrics that dominated online discourse. The disconnect fueled claims of selective reporting, with critics arguing the media shielded Crawford by downplaying the rally’s provocative undertones.
Sanders, who praised Grace’s participation in the event, otherwise stayed on script, decrying “billionaires like Elon Musk” and their sway over elections, including the $2.6 million Musk-aligned groups have poured into Schimel’s campaign. Crawford, backed by millions from George Soros, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and LinkedIn Founder Reid Hoffman, has faced her own criticism for donor ties.
The rally’s fallout continues to ripple online, where the media’s silence on its rawer moments has become as much a story as the event itself.
On Monday afternoon, the campaign of Crawford’s opponent, Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel, commented:
“Susan Crawford’s coalition is promoting divisive and offensive rhetoric that mocks people of faith'” said campaign spokesperson Jacob Fisher. “Susan Crawford should be ashamed to be associated with such vileness and denounce such profanities from her supporters.”
Links to online outrage. Content warning.
We’ve not embedded them so they would not autoplay. NSFW
Congressman Bryan Steil: https://x.com/BryanSteil/status/1899152335407845743
Congressman Van Orden: https://x.com/derrickvanorden/status/1899180627636761002
Robby Starbuck https://twitter.com/robbystarbuck/status/1898900731618586954
Libs of Tik Tok https://twitter.com/StephenKentX/status/1898455700575006993
